Ash tray



Oct. 4, 1966 x. c. BLANCHARD ASH TRAY Filed July 6, 1964 FIG. 5

FIG. 4

FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

mm; mm L L E; N; E m m B ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,276,455 ASH TRAY Irene C. Blanchard, 425 14th St, Fortuna, Calif. Filed July 6, 1964, Ser. No. 380,338 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-240) This invention relates to an ash tray construction for conveniently receiving burning cigarettes as well as their ash.

In ash trays, particularly such trays as are mounted in vehicles such as automobiles and aeroplanes, there is normally provided a compartment designed to receive an extinguished cigarette and ashes from burning cigarettes. In addition, some ash trays are formed with a projecting lip which may be provided with apertures which can be used as a snnffer for snufiing out lit cigarettes. Often times the occupants of a vehicle, and particularly the driver, find it necessary from time to time to find some place to lay the lit cigarette for a brief interval. The conventional ash tray construction has generally proven itself unsatisfactory for this purpose.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide an ash tray construction in which the forward part of the ash tray is provided with a rearward sloping grid terminating at a partition wall extending upwardly from the bottom of the ash tray to a point above the lower extremity of the grid. By virtue of this structure a cigarette laid crosswise on the grid with the lip end of the cigarette resting on the sidewall of the ash tray finds a conveniently nested area which will adequately hold the cigarette in place on a relatively broad spacial area. The grid network provides ventilation to allow sutficient oxygen to the cigarette to retain it in a burning condition, while the gridwork provides apertures so that the ashes can drip down in the body of the ash tray through the gridwork.

By this simple expedient a number of useful features and advantages are obtained, namely including a physical separation of the burning cigarette from any previous cigarette butt which might be deposited within the ash tray. By virtue of this fact there is a much lessened possibility of igniting the cigarette butts carried within the tray.

As another feature and advantage of this structure it can be seen that there is a broad area upon which the ignited cigarette can be placed. This is particularly important to a driver of a vehicle who must concentrate his attention on the road. Thus, he is in a position where he must rest the cigarette and pick it up again largely by the sense of touch without extending much visual observation.

In the present invention the broad expanse area upon which the cigarette can be laid facilitates this type of cigarette placement and recovery. The tilting angle of the grid provides a continual bias of the burning end of the cigarettes downwardly towards the bulkhead wall defining the two compartment of the ash tray. Thus, the cigarette will fall to a stable position no matter how the cigarette is initially placed on the grid network. Due to this feature the cigarette is always held in a stable position within the tray, so that vibrations and the like will have less tendency to dislocate the cigarette from its resting position. This feature is of obvious importance when used in vehicles.

As a still further feature and advantage of the invention there is provided a dual compartment within the ash tray. The rearward compartment is separated from the front compartment and forms a disposal area for extinguished cigarette butts, while the front compartment is destined predominantly to receive only burnt ashes from cigarettes which are placed upon the grid network. The grid network also functions as a snuffer by which the 3,276,455 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 burnt end of a cigarette, when placed against the grid, is snuffed out or extinguished. The area beneath the grid thus acts as a collecting area for the burning ash. Due to the fact that only Iburnt ash is deposited in the front compartment, it is impossible for the materials to be further ignited. Thus, the inconvenience normally encountered in the accidental ignition of cigarette butts carried Within an ash tray is avoided. By provision of the snufling function of the grid network the cigarette can be completely extinguished with the burnt ash falling harmlessly in the front compartment, wherein after the completely extinguished cigarette butt can be placed in the rear compartment for storage until the tray is emptied.

A further feature and advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that the screen network or grid and its partitioning wall can be formulated within the structure of cigarette ash trays presently provided in automobiles and aeroplanes and thus can be added to existing equipment as well as being initially constructed in new trays.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the principal embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a partial view of another embodiment of the invention incorporating a specific slot to receive cigarettes.

The ash tray of the present invention comprises a tray housing 15 which may have a front panel '16 which is adapted to comprise a portion of an automobile dashboard. Housing 15 is conventionally mounted for sliding engagement with the automobile structure, so that the ash tray may be slid reciprocally outwardly when used. Although this type of mounting of the ash tray is specifically disclosed, it is believed obvious that the concepts of this invention are equally applicable to ash trays which are mounted in diiferent ways into vehicles. The interior of the tray is divided into a rear section 1181 and a smaller front section 19 by a partitioning wall A grid member or snulfer screen 23 is mounted between the front wall 16 of the ash tray and the partitioning wall 20 in such a way as to depend angularly from the front wall 16 to the partitioning wall 20 to form a sloping angle extending downwardly towards the partitioning wall 20. The screen may be gravity mounted on flanges 25 and 26 mounted on the opposite facing faces of front Wall 16 and partitioning wall 20, respectively. The slope of the screen can simply be acquired by positioning the bracket 25 somewhat above bracket 26. Thus, the relative elevation of the two brackets will determine the degree of the slope of the screen. In order to remove the screen, a small handle 28 is mounted on the top face of the screen. The handle can be used to remove the screen in order to clean the ash tray.

In operation of the tray of this invention the cigarette indicated at 35 after being lit can be resting with its burn ing end 36 on screen 23. The mouth end 37 of the cigarette is rested on the top edge 38 of either side of the tray. It can be seen that because of the slope of the .screen the burning tip 36 of the cigarette will gravitate towards the apex 40 defined by the junction of divider wall 20 and screen 23. The month end 37 of the cigarette will securely rest on top edge 38 of the tray in this position. In this condition there is sufficient airflow provided to the burning end 36 to retain the cigarette in a lit condition. Furthermore, the balance of the cigarette is such that the continued burning of the cigarette will not cause it to counterweight itself to fall off the tray. It can be seen that the burnt ash will fall through screen 23 into compartment 19.

While the cigarette is being smoked in the usual manner the ashes are deposited onto the screen .23. The screen can act as a frictional surface for removing unburnt ash of the cigarette. Obviously the cigarette ash may be normally deposited by flickingthe cigarette over the screen. When it is desired to extinguish the cigarette, the burning .end 36 is placed downwardly towards the screen and frictonal -or rotational force is applied. This action will cause the cigarette to be extinguished and the burnt or burning ashes will fall through the screen into chamber 19 below. The spent cigarette butt is then deposited in the larger area 18 for subsequent storage. It can be seen that the cigarette butts stored in chamber or compartment 18 are sufficiently separated from the ash receiving chamber 19 so that the possibility of accidentally igniting the cigarete butts stored in chamber 19 is substantially reduced.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 an ash tray is formed in identical configuration to that shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, excepting there is provided a groove 45 in the top edge 38 in the tray formed to specifically receive the mouth end 37 of the cigarette. Groove 45 assists in the additional securing of the month end of the cigarette to further ensure dislodgment from the tray.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection with a particular type of ash tray commonly found in many automobiles it is believed obvious that the principals of the invention may be formed in any ash tray of the type having an area designated for the reception of cigarettes.

While .two embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cigarette ash tray comprising a horizontal bottom wall, two vertical side walls mounted to the bottom wall and a vertical front and rear end Wall mounted in parallel relation to each other and connected to the side and bottom walls, a partitioning wall perpendicular to the bottom and extending between said two side walls to divide said tray into front and rear chambers, a flat screen mounted within said front chamber, first means mounted on said partitioning wall substantially below the top thereof to support one side of said secreen, second means mounted on said front wall above the level of said first means to support the opposite side of said screen whereby the relationship of said second mounting means above said first mounting means maintains said screen in an inclined plane slanting downwardly toward said partitioning wall to form a depending apex to receive one end of a cigarette while the other end of the cigarette is supported by the upper edge of a side wall.

2. A cigarette ash tray in accordance with claim I having at least one groove formed in the uppermost portion of the side wall forming said front chamber of a dimension coincident with the diameter of cigarettes.

'3. A cigarette ash tray in accordance with claim 1 having at least one groove formed in the uppermost portion of the side wall, having an opening substantially wider than the width of a cigarette and having converging sides converging to a spacing less than the width of a cigarette, said groove being arrange-d with respect to the depending apex formed by said screen and partitioning wall whereby a cigarette placed within satid groove may be supported with the burning end of the cigarette aligned with the depending apex.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,143,159 6/ 1915 Zwickle 131-240 1,269,950 6/ 1918 Millenaar 131240 2,111,366 3/1938 Kienle 131-242 2,199,205 4/ 194-0 Litschgi 13 1-240 FOREIGN PATENTS 254,466 7/ 1926 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KORE'N, Primary Examiner.

J. S. REICH, Examiner. 

1. A CIGARETTE ASH TRAY COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL BOTTOM WALL, TWO VERTICAL SIDE WALLS MOUNTED TO THE BOTTOM WALL AND A VERTICAL FRONT AND REAR END WALL MOUNTED IN PARALLEL RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND CONNECTED TO THE SIDE AND BOTTOM WALLS, A PARTITIONING WALL PERPENDICULAR TO THE BOTTOM AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID TWO SIDE WALLS TO DIVIDE SAID TRAY INTO FRONT AND REAR CHAMBERS, A FLAT SCREEN MOUNTED WITHIN SAID FRONT CHAMBER, FIRST MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID PARTITIONING WALL SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE TOP THEREOF TO SUPPORT ONE SIDE OF SAID SECREEN, SECOND MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRONT WALL ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID FIRST MEANS TO SUPPORT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID SCREEN WHEREBY THE RELATIONSHIP OF SAID SECOND MOUNTING MEANS ABOVE SAID FIRST MOUNTING MEANS MAINTAINS SAID SCREEN IN AN INCLINED PLAN SLANTING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID PARTITIONING WALL TO FORM A DEPENDING APEX TO RECEIVE ONE END OF A CIGARETTE WHILE THE OTHER END OF THE CIGARETTE IS SUPPORTED BY THE UPPER EDGE OF A SIDE WALL. 